Saturday, September 19, 2009

PM Nepal flying for New York

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 20 Sept: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar flies for New York Sunday to lead a 24-member Nepali delegation to the annual UN general assembly session and meetings with US President Barak Obama and Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the sidelines of the session. Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala and top party of Nepali Congress and Nepal’s own CPN-UML are included in the delegation.Nepal will participate in a seminar of top 10 nations contributing peacekeepers to UN worldwide.Before departure, Nepal assured Army Chief Gen Chatraman Singh Guring and three security chiefs under the home ministry he will raise their concerns and demands with the UN in discussions in New York.Nepal Army wants greater role and participation in Un international peacekeeping efforts.Nepal briefed President Dr Ram Baran Yadav on his activities in New York.Nepal returns home 28 September after addressing the assembly 26 September.The prime minister is expected to raise issues of climate change and food shortages in Nepal in meetings with world leaders. A meeting of SAARC foreign ministers is also meting held in New York o prepare the regional summit in Bhutan.Nepal is going abroad for the third time in more than four months after assuming power’ he participated in the summit of non-aligned nations in Egypt and completed a bilateral India visit. Nnnn

Ambassadors-designate to appear before special committee

Kathmandu, 20 Sept: First ambassador–designate to Brazil Pradumna Bikram Shah along with Foreign Secretary Gyanchandra Acharya, whose name has been proposed as permanent representative to UN, are appearing before a special parliamentary hearing committee Sunday.The committee hasn’t received any complaints against them.They are both career diplomats.Nnnn

Army conducting seminar on civil-military relationship

Kathmandu, 20 Sept: The Nepal Army under newly-installed Army Chief Gen Chandraman Singh Gurung is conducting a two-day seminar of civil-military relationship from Tuesday.The issue is being discussed at a time when Maoists charge they were ousted from power with presidential and foreign interference and civilian control of the state army was threatened.Political parties, including Maoists, have been invited.Maoists are unlikely to attend.Nnnn

Maoist leader supports China, criticizes India

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 20 Sept: Senior Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara said Sunday Maoists aren’t happy with what he called Indian interventionist role in Nepali politics.“But the interventionist role [of India] in Nepali politics hasn’t made us party,” Chief of the party’s foreign relations department told Kantipur.“I don’t think relations with India have deteriorated. We’ve good relations with Indian power centers.‘We’ve just started developing good relations with China,” he said after meeting Chinese ‘friends in Hong Kong along with Chairman Prachanda.‘Relations have slightly deteriorated. Limited policymakers of India are angry Maoists haven’t fallen on their lap,” Mahara revealed. “This is wrong thibking.”He said India may have intervened 90 percent in Nepal with limited Chinese intervention.“There’s no place for criticism of China. Talking of intervention, India may have intervened 90 percent and China 10 percent. There’s no reason to be terrorizes with China. Even then, China has a clear policy,” Mahara said criticizing India while supporting China.Nnnn

MEDIA GOOGLE

“The Maoists are undermining the national dignity by bringing the proposal to change the national flag. The government is not in favour of the proposal.”

(Minister Bidya Bhandari, Republica, 20 Sept.)

“We are looking to bring the load-shedding down to 8-10 hours a day [in winter].”